Health And Unemployment – A Connection

Work, in addition to being a source of income and representing monetary remuneration for effort and value, promotes social conditions. It is also an instrument for the construction of your personal identity. Unemployment thus affects people’s lives in many areas, especially health. In addition to having social and psychological consequences, there is a strong relationship between health and unemployment.

For years, there was a great deal of debate within the scientific community about the relationship between health and unemployment. On the one hand, some wondered whether unemployment affects health. On the other hand, those with poor health are more likely to end up unemployed and / or not find a new job.

In a study, researchers in this subject found that unemployment has a direct impact on people’s physical and mental health. For their part, they found less relevant evidence that health has an impact on whether people were able to find a job or not. They thus concluded that this relationship is two-way.

Health and unemployment: unemployment worsens health

There is no doubt that unemployment acts as an important stress factor since it is an uncontrollable situation of indefinite duration. In addition, it is usually the result of an external agent and compromises access to multiple contacts. As if this were not enough, the person must set in motion a number of personal resources to adapt and change their situation.

Some of the minor stressors associated with unemployment include lack of financial resources, family problems, relationship problems, job search, seeking help and resources. At the same time, they are facing possible rejection.

When a person experiences a stressful situation, and especially over a long period of time, changes occur in the body that allow them to face the problem in the best possible way.

As a result, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) secretes the hormone cortisol. Although this reaction is natural, repeated activation can lead to changes in this activity as well as alter cortisol levels.

Some experts associated these changes with many diseases, just as they associate unemployment with abnormal cortisol secretion patterns. Nevertheless, these patterns are different depending on age and gender. They indicated that although unemployment may affect everyone, it will not do so in the same way.

“Dying under duty is heroic, but dying while unemployed is just stupid.”
-Tsugumi Ohba-

Health and unemployment: consequences

Unemployment is linked to poorer health. Although it may be due to a lack of financial resources, these effects are independent of medical care.

In addition, the unemployed usually have a subjective health that is significantly worse than the employed. When it comes to physical problems, it is not surprising that the health changes unemployment is associated with are related to chronic stress.

This may be the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity or diabetes. In the same way, other health consequences arise, such as drug use.

In addition, it has some possible consequences for psychological health ; decreased well-being, low self-esteem, bad mood, increasing anxiety level and changed personality.

Health affects unemployment

In this case, studies focused mainly on the impact mental health has on a person’s ability to keep a job. When we take into account that unemployment entails a number of damages to mental health, the unemployed fall into a vicious circle from which it is difficult to get out.

This means that someone with poor mental health is more likely to lose their job and be less able to find a future job. In addition, there are many opportunities for their health to deteriorate between one job and another.

There is thus a high level of discomfort associated with an increased risk of losing your job, just as childhood discomfort is related to unemployment in adulthood.

Similarly, researchers found that people with lower levels of depression found it easier to find work, especially men. A national study in Australia, on the other hand, found that men’s mental health has more to do with the duration of a future employment, but neither increased nor decreased the likelihood of getting the job.

For most studies, experts used tests with a clinical population. It will therefore be necessary to compare this information with samples from the general population.